Robert Gitto of The Gitto Group cuts the ribbon with members of the Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce. Photo from PJCC
Robert Gitto with son Ryan and wife Kerry. Photo from The Gitto Group
Robert Gitto with mother Meryle Gitto and son Ryan. Photo from The Gitto Group
Peter Capobianco and his wife Marlene. Photo from The Gitto Group
From left, Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich, Rob Gitto, Tony Gitto, Peter Capobianco and Mayor Margot Garant. Photo from The Gitto Group
Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich, Rob Gitto, Tony Gitto, Peter Capobianco and Mayor Margot Garant. Photo from The Gitto Group
The Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting for the grand opening of The Brookport on Tuesday, Sept. 28.
Located at 52 Barnum Avenue in Port Jefferson Village, the complex features 44 apartments (100% leased) and two retail stores, one of which will be Southdown Coffee. Located at the former site of Cappy Carpets, the mixed-use project by The Gitto Group has won the Vision Long Island Smart Growth Award and features amenities including a fitness center, parking garage and furnished rooftop.
A second ribbon cutting for the community was held on Wednesday, Sept. 29 and was attended by Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garant, Brookhaven Town Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich, Rob and Tony Gitto, Peter Capobianco of Cappy’s Carpets, and members of the community.
There is a long tradition of Man vs. Nature in young adult literature. The Island of the Blue Dolphins, Hatchet, and even Call of the Wild (which straddles the world of adult and young adult fiction) are examples of the genre. These novels reflect how the individual changes when interacting with greater forces. Jerry Mikorenda’s The Whaler’s Daughter (Regal House Publishing) smartly explores the world of whaling in a 1910 New South Whales community.
Author Jerry Mikorenda signs a book for a fan.
In a small Australian station, the whalers have joined forces with orcas to hunt whales. Savannah Dawson, a twelve-year-old living with her widowed father, dreams of working alongside him on the boats, joining the family’s long whaling history. Her gender strongly impedes her desire. In addition, she believes that the orcas caused the death of her two brothers, Eli and Asa.
The book seamlessly weaves Savannah’s two journeys. First, her realization that the orcas were not responsible for her sibling’s death. Second, her struggle for acceptance as a crew member. The author addresses both issues throughout, using detailed research to infuse the book with a vivid portrait of life on ship and shore, the challenges of the sea, and the camaraderie of the men themselves. He touches on superstitions and familial connections. In addition, he contextually integrates both regional dialect and nautical/whaling vocabulary. (There is also a helpful appendix of terms.)
Mikorenda sets the tone and pace with Savannah’s declaration: “I began my day as I always did, lugging those dreaded pots to the fire pit to make a bushman’s stew. Their big iron bellies slogged through the sand as if they were drunken sailors being dragged to Sunday service.” He presents a life of physical toil with a heroine who has a wry sense of observation. She begins as a cook and ends on the boat.
Savannah’s palpable frustration seats in her knowledge of being a Dawson and the weight the name carries. But being female has relegated her to a second-class citizen. Apart from an unwanted suitor, she is almost unseen. So driven to claim her birthright, she boldly chops off her hair: “If Papa needed a boy for the boats, I’d meet him halfway.” The portrait is a girl coming to terms with maturity. She questions the father-daughter relationship. “How could things go so wrong between us when all I did was grow into who I am?” More telling is her realization that “Having your dreams trampled by someone who could help you realize them is worse than not having them at all.”
Savannah’s father, both distant and damaged, shows sensitivity in a revelation centering around a letter. His opening to Savannah is one of the most touching moments in the book. In addition, Mikorenda has populated the station with a blend of interesting and colorful sailors and their families. The locale is vibrant, with special note of the wonderfully eccentric Old Whalers and Seafarer’s Home, dubbed the Pelican House.
Certainly, the hyper-articulate Calagun is the book’s unique character. Nicknamed “Figgie,” the aboriginal boy’s eloquence is a marvel: “Your perceptions of my intentions are somewhat askew.” A new oarsman in the Dawson crew, he becomes Savannah’s companion and champion. He serves as the gateway in her shift in perception. Through him, she sees the orcas anew and, subsequently, the world. Their interactions root in genuine respect and affection. “Some people are like empty bowls we can pour all our problems into, and Figgie was that way for me,” muses Savannah.
There is remarkable enculturation as Savannah learns from Figgie’s life experiences. Their burgeoning closeness hews tightly to the book’s heart. Figgie’s spirituality, acquired from his people, confirms man’s connection to the world: “We don’t own the earth, the earth owns us … This is where we began; this is where our spirits return to be reborn as a rock, bird, or fig tree.”
Figgie’s explanation of the balance of nature tempers Savannah’s anger with the orcas. Her newfound comprehension leads to an encounter with an orca bringing her to shore. Confusion leads to frustration, to awareness, to acceptance. Later, they witness the birth of an orca, furthering her understanding of the pod’s dynamic.
The novel offers a sense of the hard life in New Wales. It also gives a rich glimpse into aboriginal culture and beliefs. The blend matures Savannah in ways that life solely under her father would not give her.
The Whaler’s Daughter is an engaging novel. The plot is intense and eventful, and the language vivid and resonant. But the true strength lies in the growth of Savannah Dawson, a complex girl with challenging aspirations and the drive to see them fulfilled
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A resident of Northport, Jerry Mikorenda’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Herald, The Gotham Center History Blog, and the 2010 Encyclopedia of New York City. His short stories have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, BULL, Cowboy Jamboree, and Gravel Magazine as well as other journals. His biography America’s First Freedom Rider: Elizabeth Jennings, Chester A. Arthur, and the Early Fight for Civil Rights was published in 2020. His latest, the coming-of-age historical fiction novel The Whaler’s Daughter, is perfect for middle-grade readers and is available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
For more information, visit www.jerrymikorenda.com.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. METRO photo
Understand your risk profile and design a screening plan with your physician
By David Dunaief, M.D.
Dr. David Dunaief
Get out your pink attire, because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The most common cancer diagnosed in U.S. women, an estimated 30 percent of 2021 cancer diagnoses in women will be breast cancer (1). Of these, 85 percent of cases occur in those with no family history of the disease, and 85 percent of new cases will be invasive breast cancer.
A primary objective of raising awareness is to promote screening for early detection. While screening is crucial, prevention should be just as important, including primary prevention, preventing the disease from occurring, and secondary prevention, preventing recurrence.
Here, we will discuss current screening recommendations, along with tools to lower your risk.
At what age and how often should we be screened?
Here is where divergence occurs; experts don’t agree on age and frequency. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force currently recommends mammograms every other year, from age 50 through age 74, with the option of beginning as early as age 40 for those with significant risk (2). It’s important to note that these guidelines, published in 2016, are currently being refined and are pending publication.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends consideration of beginning annual or biennial mammograms at 40, but starting no later than 50, and continuing until age 75. They encourage a process of shared decision-making between patient and physician to determine age and frequency of exams, including whether to continue after age 75 (3).
The American Cancer Society’s physician guidelines are to offer a mammogram beginning at age 40 and recommend annual or biennial exams from 45 to 54, with biennial exams after 55 until life expectancy is less than 10 years (4).
While the recommendations may seem nuanced, it’s important to consult with your physician to determine your risk profile and plan or revise your regular screening schedule accordingly.
Do bisphosphonates help?
Bisphosphonates include Fosamax (alendronate), Zometa (zoledronic acid) and Boniva (ibandronate) and are used to treat osteoporosis. Do they have a role in breast cancer prevention? It depends on the population, and it depends on study quality.
In a meta-analysis involving two randomized controlled trials (RCTs), FIT and HORIZON-PFT, results showed no benefit from the use of bisphosphonates in reducing breast cancer risk (5). The study population involved 14,000 postmenopausal women from ages 55 to 89 women who had osteoporosis, but who did not have a personal history of breast cancer. In other words, the bisphosphonates were being used for primary prevention.
In a more recent meta-analysis of 10 studies with over 950,000 total participants, results showed that bisphosphonates did indeed reduce the risk of primary breast cancer in patients by as much as 12 percent (6). However, when the researchers dug more deeply into the studies, they found inconsistencies in the results between observational and case-control trials versus RCTs, along with an indication that longer-term use of bisphosphonates is more likely to be protective than use of less than one year.
Randomized controlled trials are better designed than observational trials. Therefore, it is more likely that bisphosphonates do not work in reducing breast cancer risk in patients without a history of breast cancer or, in other words, in primary prevention.
A Lancet metanalysis focused on breast cancer recurrence in distant locations, including bone, and survival outcomes did find benefits for postmenopausal women (7). A good synopsis of the research can be found at cancer.org.
How much exercise?
We know exercise is important in diseases and breast cancer is no exception. In an observational trial, exercise reduced breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women significantly (8). These women exercised moderately; they walked four hours a week over a four-year period. If they exercised previously, five to nine years ago, but not recently, no benefit was seen. The researchers stressed that it is never too late to begin exercise.
Only about one-third of women get the recommended level of exercise every week: 30 minutes for five days a week. Once diagnosed with breast cancer, women tend to exercise less, not more. We need to expend as much energy and resources emphasizing exercise for prevention as we do screenings.
What about soy?
Contrary to popular belief, soy may be beneficial in reducing breast cancer risk. In a meta-analysis, those who consumed more soy saw a significant reduction in breast cancer compared to those who consumed less (9). There was a dose-response curve among three groups: high intake of >20 mg per day, moderate intake of 10 mg and low intake of <5 mg.
Those in the highest group had a 29 percent reduced risk, and those in the moderate group had a 12 percent reduced risk when compared to those who consumed the least. In addition, higher soy intake has been associated with reduced recurrence and increased survival for those previously diagnosed with breast cancer (10). The benefit from soy is thought to come from isoflavones, plant-rich nutrients.
Hooray for Breast Cancer Awareness Month stressing the importance of mammography and breast self-exams. However, we need to give significantly more attention to prevention of breast cancer and its recurrence. Through potentially more soy intake, as well as a Mediterranean diet and modest exercise, we may be able to accelerate the trend toward a lower breast cancer incidence.
Dr. David Dunaief is a speaker, author and local lifestyle medicine physician focusing on the integration of medicine, nutrition, fitness and stress management. For further information, visit www.medicalcompassmd.com.
Walmart Inc. has agreed at its sustainability milestone summit to reduce total virgin plastic use by 15% throughout the company’s plastic packaging footprint by 2025 following engagement with As You Sow. It agreed to set an absolute plastic reduction target in May following the filing of a shareholder resolution by As You Sow, but needed time to assess the size of the cuts. The announcement was made in a press release on Oct. 6.
The company told As You Sow it will work to achieve the plastic reduction through increased use of recycled content, elimination of unnecessary material, redesign of packaging, and exploration of reuse models. The company’s plastic packaging footprint includes private‐brand packaging, shopping bags, operational packaging, and eCommerce packaging. The reduction will likely approximate a 180,000 ton reduction out of 1.4 million metric tons of plastic packaging it used in 2020, according to its most recent environment, social, and governance report.
“The company has set a significant initial goal to reduce the use of virgin plastic,” said Conrad MacKerron, senior vice president of As You Sow. “We encourage other companies to step forward and make bolder, larger absolute cuts in overall plastic packaging. Reducing virgin plastic use is a good start, but cuts in total plastic use have a greater impact. We need hundreds of companies to make significant cuts in single-use plastic packaging if we are to make meaningful progress in reducing the flow of plastic wastes into oceans.”
Four other large companies — Keurig Dr Pepper, Mondelez International, PepsiCo, and Target Corp. — agreed to virgin plastic reductions earlier this year after the filing of shareholder proposals by As You Sow. Target and Keurig Dr. Pepper agreed to reduce virgin plastic in brand packaging 20% by 2025, Mondelez agreed to cut 5% by 2025, and PepsiCo agreed to a 20% cut by 2030.
Cumulatively, the reduction in use of virgin plastic announced by these five brands is likely to total more than 700,000 tons. As You Sow continues dialogue with Amazon.com and Kroger, among other large brands, seeking similar reductions. Forty-five percent of Kroger shareholders and 35% of Amazon shareholders supported proposals earlier this year asking the companies to study significant reductions in plastic use.
In a new report, “Corporate Plastic Pollution Scorecard 2021,”As You Sow analyzed the packaging practices of 50 large consumer goods companies, 18 companies — including Walmart — were identified as having announced, or planning to announce, a virgin plastic reduction goal by 2021. This was a notable nine-fold increase from 2019 when just two companies held these goals, demonstrating rapid corporate awareness of the importance of reducing overall plastic use. Walmart was among the second highest scoring companies in the report, preceded by top-scoring company Coca-Cola Co.
As You Sow’s efforts have been catalyzed by a 2020 landmark study by Pew Charitable Trusts, “Breaking the Plastic Wave,” which modeled actions needed to reduce 80% of the plastic pollution that flows into oceans by 2040. The report said immediate and sustained new commitments throughout the plastics value chain are needed, including actions by brand owners, consumer goods companies, and retailers to reduce at least one-third of plastic demand through elimination, reuse, and new delivery models.
Dark Night Halloween Trail. Photo courtesy of Aurora Interactive, LLC, and Chamber of Horrors NY/Fear Manor
As emerging COVID-19 strains such as the Delta variant have families facing concerns over how they will enjoy Halloween fun this season, leading creators in the local Halloween scene, Aurora Interactive, LLC have teamed with Chambers of Horrors NY/Fear Manor to come up with a festive, safe solution through the development of the exclusive limited time pop-up event, “Dark Night: Halloween Trail,” which opened October 1 at Long Island Community Hospital Amphitheater in Farmingville, is geared toward families and Halloween lovers of all ages.
Representing the first ever 1990s time travel mystery themed Halloween trail to come to Long Island, Dark Night: Halloween Trail is an outdoor extravaganza combining moderate scares with comedy that at the same time celebrates the nostalgia of vintage haunted trails through a post-modern twist on inspired characters from pop culture and horror movies of the 1990s.
Dark Night Halloween Trail. Photo courtesy of Aurora Interactive, LLC, and Chamber of Horrors NY/Fear Manor
Promoting health, safety and social distancing, only 1,000 tickets will be sold per night with members of each reserved party staying within their group as they are staggered apart from one another throughout the experience. People will travel back in time to 1999 as they participate in a fictional radio show marathon hosted by 131.3 WDIE, where movies, characters and popular music of the 90s come to life while they venture through an approximate 25–30-minute darkened trail to uncover hidden alphabetical letters that form the name of the character who has cursed the property, using only one flashlight. To make this the most authentic nostalgic experience, adults and children attending are encouraged to wear 1990s attire.
“It’s the perfect time to do a 90s-themed Halloween event, especially with Generation Z’s sense of fashion, music and interest in 90s pop culture that reflects their love for the era’s books, film and TV adaptions of such properties as Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz and R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps along with hit TV shows and movies like Barney, Are You Afraid of the Dark, and Jurassic Park,” says Eliana Puntarich of Aurora Interactive, LLC.
In contrast to Aurora Interactive, LLC’s past scarier and more intense Halloween events intended for teens and adults, this year’s Dark Night: Halloween Trail is scaled down in its thrills and chills to be inclusive for people of all ages. It has also added a special “Dark Night Trick-Я-Treat Adventure Trail” that is especially for younger children where little “boils” and “ghouls” will explore a fun, non-scary walk-through friendly meet and greet experience with Dark Night: Halloween Trail characters.
Dark Night Halloween Trail. Photo courtesy of Aurora Interactive, LLC, and Chamber of Horrors NY/Fear Manor
“With everything going on and the real-life fear people are facing today, the opportunity to do an all-ages, safe Halloween event is very exciting,” said Martin Arominski, co-owner of Chamber of Horrors NY/Fear Manor and co-producer of Dark Night: Halloween Trail. “We’ve gone retro to create a 90s style haunted trail, which to me is very inspiring. This theme is a breath of fresh air compared to other Halloween themes you see at other attractions that use overt and realistic violence or adult fear driven scenarios to scare people.”
Keeping in line with health and safety guidelines, all guests are encouraged to wear face masks. All actors portraying characters wear face masks under their costumes and are kept at a distance from guests participating.
Expected to be produced on a scale previously unseen in the New York area, Dark Night: Halloween Trail runs through Halloween, October 31. Its weekends of operation are October 8 – October 10, October 15 – October 17, October 22 – October 24, and October 28 – October 31. Hours are 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and are from 7:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. on Sundays (including Halloween) and on Thursday, October 28.
Tickets for adults (ages 13 and up) start at $35 per person. Admission for children between ages four and 12 are discounted to $15 per child. There is no charge for children three and under. Admission for adults and children is the same for the Dark Night Trick-Я-Treat Adventure Trail. At least one adult, parent or guardian must accompany children for the Dark Night Trick-Я-Treat Adventure Trail. Adult, parent or guardian tickets for this must be purchased online in advance; children’s tickets for this must be purchased in person by the adult, parent or guardian at the attraction with the adult/parent/guardian ticket(s) in-hand. To purchase tickets, please visit, www.DarkNightLI.com.
Proceeds from tickets sold will be donated by Aurora Interactive, LLC and Chamber of Horrors/Fear Manor to Literacy Inc., a national charity that is dedicated to fighting the growing rate of illiteracy among teens across the United States through the use of such tools as motivational speeches, free Ereaders or Etablets, and reminder bands.
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Photos attached are from Dark Night: Halloween Trail. Photo credit and permission for all pictures are courtesy of Aurora Interactive, LLC, and Chamber of Horrors NY/Fear Manor
RN Sandra Lindsay (center) with staff members. Photo from Northwell Health
Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine booster shot available to frontline health care workers
More than nine months after she became the first American to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Sandra Lindsay, RN, director of nursing critical care at Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Medical Center (LIJ), today received a booster shot to increase her immunity against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
RN Sandra Lindsay gets her booster shot. Photo from Northwell Health
Ms. Lindsay enthusiastically held high three fingers moments after Michelle Chester, DNP, director of Northwell Health Employee Health Services, administered the booster shot in front of reporters. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an additional shot of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine on September 22 for those 65 and older, individuals at high risk of severe disease and those whose work may lead to frequent exposure to the virus.
“I am delighted to receive the booster today as yet another chapter in the fight against COVID-19,” said Ms. Lindsay, who was honored by President Joe Biden in a White House ceremony and served as grand marshal of NYC’s Hometown Heroes Parade, both in July. “For me, personally, it’s been an incredible journey and a privilege. It’s my belief that if I can change one person’s mind who is hesitating to become vaccinated and help encourage them to follow the science, it’s been a good day.”
Ms. Lindsay became a household name on December 14, 2020, when she was shown receiving the first Pfizer dose in the United States as part of a video conference call with then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Items used as part of her vaccination were donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
On Wednesday, Ms. Lindsay was back in front of cameras, one of five frontline health care workers who publicly received their booster shot. The others were: Yves Duroseau, MD, chief of emergency medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan and the second American vaccinated; Elyse Isopo, NP, North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset; Richard Schwarz, MD, medical director at LIJ; and Andrew Adesman, MD, chief of behavioral pediatrics at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park.
“We are all so proud of each member of our Northwell family who agreed to participate in getting vaccinated to help us fight the battle of this pandemic,” said David Battinelli, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer. “During this year, we saw the true heroism of each member of our staff – doctors, nurses, therapists, dietary, environmental services – all doing their best to fight this unknown disease, at their own risk. During this last year-and-a-half, we truly saw fear morph into courage. And now, after this most difficult year, we are delighted to be able to offer our team members a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine. We urge everyone to follow the science and get their booster shot when they become eligible.”
Northwell Health, the largest health system and private employer in New York State, announced on Monday that its staff is now 100 percent vaccinated, in compliance with New York State Governor Kathy Hochul’s mandate that all health care workers be vaccinated.
A TRACER site similar to this one in Argentina is being constructed in Pearland, Texas. Photo courtesy of ARM
By Daniel Dunaief
Before they could look to the skies to figure out how aerosols affected rainclouds and storms around Houston, they had to be sure of the safety of the environment on the ground.
Researchers from several institutions, including Brookhaven National Laboratory, originally planned to begin collecting data that could one day improve weather and even climate models on April 15th of this year.
The pandemic, however, altered that plan twice, with the new start date for the one-year, intensive cloud, study called TRACER, for Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions, beginning on Oct. 1st.
The delay meant that the “intensive observational period was moved from summer 2021 to summer 2022,” Michael Jensen, the Principal Investigator on Tracer and a meteorologist at Brookhaven National Laboratory, explained in an email.
Scientists and ARM staff pose during planning for TRACER (left to right): Iosif “Andrei” Lindenmaier, ARM’s radar systems engineering lead; James Flynn, University of Houston; Michael Jensen, TRACER’s principal investigator from Brookhaven National Laboratory; Stephen Springston, ARM’s Aerosol Observing System lead mentor (formerly Brookhaven Lab, now retired); Chongai Kuang, Brookhaven Lab; and Heath Powers, site manager for the ARM Mobile Facility that will collect measurements during TRACER. (Courtesy of ARM)
At the same time, the extension enabled a broader scientific scope, adding more measurements for the description of aerosol lifecycle and aerosol regional variability. It also allowed the researchers to include air quality data, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and urban meteorology, funded by the National Science Foundation.
The primary motivation for the project is to “understand how aerosols impact storms,” Jensen explained in a presentation designed to introduce the TRACER project to the public.
Some scientists believe aerosols, which are tiny particles that can occur naturally from trees, dust and other sources or from man-made activities like the burning of fossil fuels, can make storms stronger and larger, causing more rain.
“There’s a lot of debate in the literature” about the link between aerosols and storms, Jensen said.
Indeed, there may be a “sweet spot” in which a certain number or concentration of aerosols causes an invigoration of rainstorms, while a super abundance beyond that number reverses the trend, Jensen added.
“We don’t know the answers to those questions,” the BNL scientist said. “That’s why we need to go out there and take detailed measurements of what’s going on inside clouds, how precipitation particles are freezing or melting.”
Even though aerosols are invisible to the naked eye, they could have significant impacts on how mass and energy are distributed in clouds, as well as on broader atmospheric processes that affect weather patterns.
The TRACER study, which is a part of the Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement, or ARM, user facility, could “help forecast heavy rains that can cause flash flooding,’ said Chongai Kuang, atmospheric scientist and TRACER co-investigator at BNL.
The TRACER study will explore the way sea and bay breeze circulations affect the evolution of deep convective storms as well as examining the influence of urban environments on clouds and precipitation.
Several additional funding agencies have stepped in to address basic scientific questions, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s efforts to address air quality issues in Houston and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which funded a study on ozone and low-level atmospheric mixing.
“Our original TRACER field campaign provided a seed for what is now a major, multi-agency field campaign with a significantly expanded scientific scope,” Jensen explained in an email.
A joint team from BNL and Stony Brook University is developing new software to scan the precipitation radar system to select and track storm clouds to observe the rapid development of these storms. Additionally, aerosol instrumentation will help provide updated information on the precursor gases and the smallest aerosol particles at the earliest stages of the aerosol cycle, Jensen explained.
Ultimately, the data that these scientists gather could improve the ability to forecast storms in a range of areas, including on Long Island.
“Understanding sea breezes and the coastal environment is a very important aspect of TRACER,” Jensen said. “Even though it’s not the preliminary focus, there’s an opportunity to learn new science, to improve weather forecasting and storm forecasting for those coastal environments.”
Researchers chose Houston because of their desire to study a more densely populated urban area and to understand the way numerous factors influence developing clouds, weather patterns and, ultimately, the climate.
“We know the urban environment is where most people live,” Jensen said. “This is taking us in new directions, with new opportunities to influence the science” in these cities.
Researchers plan to collect information about clouds, aerosols and storms everywhere from ground-based instruments stationed at four fixed sites, as well as through mobile facilities, to satellite images.
The program operates a tethered balloon which is “like a big blimp that goes up half a mile into the atmosphere,” said Heath Powers, the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement facility site manager for Tracer from Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The tethered balloon is located at Smith Point, Texas, on the eastern shore of Galveston Bay and will do low-level profiling of aerosols, winds, thermodynamics and ozone as it is influenced by bay breeze circulation, Jensen explained.
The National Science Foundation is planning to bring a C-130 plane to conduct overflights, while the group will also likely use drones, Powers added.
The TRACER study will launch around 1,500 weather balloons to gather information at different altitudes. The research will use over four dozen instruments to analyze meteorology, the amount of energy in the atmosphere and the air chemistry.
“Clouds are the big question,” Powers said. “Where they form, why they form … do they rain or not rain. We are well-positioned to get at the core of a lot of this” through the information these scientists gather.
Marsala is both the name of a city in northwest Sicily and the name of a fortified wine (around 18% alcohol) first made in 1773 by the English Port merchant, John Woodhouse. Marsala is made from a blend of local grapes and is fortified with alcohol either during or after fermentation, depending on the desired level of sweetness.
White grapes include Grillo, Catarratto, Inzolia, and Damaschino. Red grapes include Perricone, Nero d’Avola, and Nerello Mascalese.
All Marsala wines are available in three colors: ambra (amber), oro (golden), and rubino (ruby). Italian law has set production rules for three types of Marsala: Marsala Fine, Marsala Superiore, and Marsala Vergine. A 1984 law banned using the name Marsala for concoctions flavored with almonds, bananas, chocolate, coffee, eggs, mocha, strawberries, tangerine, and so forth.
Marsala Fine is made in a dry, semidry, and sweet version. This type must be aged for a minimum of one year in a barrel. It is the most consumed Marsala in the United States.
Marsala Superiore is made in a dry, semidry, and sweet version. This Marsala must be aged a minimum of two years in a barrel.
Marsala Vergine is made only in a dry version and is considered the finest Marsala. It is made from the best wines of the vintage and must be aged a minimum of five years in a barrel.
Dry Marsala is light amber with aromas and flavors of roasted nuts, cocoa, hints of tobacco, raisins, hazelnuts, and vanilla. Sweet Marsala is dark amber with aromas and flavors of nuts and honey, with cream, cocoa, tobacco, dates, hazelnuts, apricots, licorice, and vanilla and is an excellent apéritif served chilled from the refrigerator while sweet Marsala is excellent after dinner, served at room temperature.
Cheeses to pair with dry Marsala include Asiago, Camembert, Cheddar, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Provolone. Pair sweet Marsala with Blue Cheeses, Cantal, Gruyère, Havarti, and Monterey Jack.
Marsala usually comes in screw top bottles so they can be stored upright. There is no reason to age Marsala because it has been aged before bottling. Once opened it should be refrigerated, which will extend its shelf life to about six weeks.
When making recipes that call for Marsala, use imported brands for they are superior in quality. Dry Marsala is best to use for cooking, for it imparts a nutty-tangy flavor without a heavy sweetness. Cooking with equal parts of dry and sweet Marsala adds an extra dimension in taste. If using as an ingredient in desserts, then use the sweet style.
Bob Lipinski is the author of 10 books, including “101: Everything You Need To Know About Whiskey” and “Italian Wine & Cheese Made Simple” (available on Amazon.com). He consults and conducts training seminars on Wine, Spirits, and Food and is available for speaking engagements. He can be reached at www.boblipinski.com OR [email protected].
Sweetbriar Nature Ceter, 62 Eckernkamp Drive, Smithtown presents a Plant Power workshop featuring medicinal garden plants, a foraging walk and making herb bundles, on Tuesday, Oct. 5 from 4 to 6 p.m.
Plants have grown from our Earth for billions of years and evolved millions of potentially useful compounds over that time. As long as humans have been around, we have studied and tried to understand and use these plant products to improve our health.
There maybe plants in your yard, on your patio, and even in your kitchen that yield unexpected benefits or have uses that were once popular in cooking. Lavender was once used as a hospital disinfectant, garlic mustard was used to flavor dishes, and the roots of our native sassafras trees were once used to make teas.
Join the staff for a foraging walk around Sweetbriar. We’ll be collecting plants and plant material to use for making herb bundles.
Use the bundles to honor traditions or to simply establish their own ritual. As a ritual, burning an herb bundle can aid relaxation, relieve stress and anxiety, dispel negative emotions, enhance spirituality or meditation.
As you walk through the Sweetbriar gardens and forests, your guide will point out some plants that were once popular for culinary uses and some that were once used for medicines.
You’re more than welcome to bring some of your own plants from home to add to your bundle.
Fee for the workshop is $25 per person. To register, click below.
It’s that time of year again! Get your flu shot at Comsewogue Public Library, 170 Terryville Road, Port Jefferson Station on Tuesday, Oct. 5 between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. or Tuesday, Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring a copy of your ID and your insurance card. Open to ages 18 and older. For more information, please call 928-1212, option #3.
Certainly, the hyper-articulate Calagun is the book’s unique character. Nicknamed “Figgie,” the aboriginal boy’s eloquence is a marvel: “Your perceptions of my intentions are somewhat askew.” A new oarsman in the Dawson crew, he becomes Savannah’s companion and champion. He serves as the gateway in her shift in perception. Through him, she sees the orcas anew and, subsequently, the world. Their interactions root in genuine respect and affection. “Some people are like empty bowls we can pour all our problems into, and Figgie was that way for me,” muses Savannah.
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